


girls your age

by fated_addiction



Category: GOT7, K-pop, KARA (Band), Korean Actor RPF, Real Person Fiction, Red Velvet (K-pop Band), So Nyuh Shi Dae | Girls' Generation, VIXX, 룸메이트 | Roommate (TV), 소녀시대 | Girl's Generation | SNSD
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Friendship, Romance, omg what is this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-20
Updated: 2015-08-20
Packaged: 2018-04-16 08:18:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4618182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fated_addiction/pseuds/fated_addiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Nine days after they break up, Hongbin has a date in the coffee shop that she works in, right next to the university that they BOTH go to because why else would <i>he</i>.</i>
</p>
<p>OR why Youngji never trusts her friends when it comes to boys, Jackson starts fighting crime a little early, and Seulgi likes to meddle -- but just a little bit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	girls your age

**Author's Note:**

> Originally, this was going to be the 'train' AU from the meme, but then it became a 'bus' AU and moves into a coffee shop because, why the hell not? 
> 
> Special thanks to the anon that suggest this request!

In retrospect, she should have known.

Her mother isn't the mother that goes around, each time she has a boyfriend and blatantly _hates_ him, like in the dramas -- that kind of self-sabotage isn't even in her mother's nature. This is a women that cries every time there's a new Disney movie, you know. But when she meets Hongbin, she gets incredibly quiet, waits after he leaves dinner, takes her by the hand and says quietly, carefully even, "I don't know if I like him."

Youngji's mother is never wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

Nine days after they break up, Hongbin has a date in the coffee shop that she works in, right next to the university that they BOTH go to because why else would _he_.

She's not working (thank god) and hides at a table by the counter, her biology books spread out everywhere. She nearly knocks her second coffee into her Anatomy notes (she's clumsy), but that isn't his fault, it's her own. It's Seulgi that comes over to tell her, hands rubbing over her apron.

"I don't get it."

Youngji blinks at her best friend. She checks her watch.

"Get what?"

"That," the other girl says, point. Youngji follows the direction of her hand, smacking it away when she finally _sees_ Hongbin AND one of her sunbaes from her program.

" _Yah_ ," she hisses. Her face burns and she ducks into her notes. "I swear," she mutters. "You have the worst --"

"I still don't get it," Seulgi ignores her. Of course you don't, Youngji thinks. Seulgi is in the theatre program and yeah, sure, it has its own politics and circles and dramatic love triangles. She knows that Seulgi wasn't exactly the biggest fan of Hongbin, before they dated and now especially after.

They have been friends since pre-school though and Hongbin, Seulgi had said, not only needed to walk through fire _twice_ , before she approved, but had to buy her dinner. 

His first mistake? He took them to karaoke instead.

"He knows you work here," Seulgi complains. "And that I hate him. And that we, like, never go home because exams are coming up."

Youngji shakes her head. She still sneaks a peek between her fingers, glancing at Hongbin as he sits. He's smiling. He's shy, even. His gaze seems warm. She feels her heart in her throat.

"It's Seohyun-sunbae," she says quietly, and she absolutely gets it, she thinks too. The older girl is beautiful. Insanely smart. She's never once showed interest in anyone, but she's not surprised, for whatever reason. They look good together, Hongbin and Seohyun, bright-eyed, smiling, and there's just this _feel_ to it.

"I don't."

Youngji closes her books. "I do," she says sourly. "She's pretty. She's basically _brilliant_. She even does charity work on the weekends. His parents are probably over the moon."

Seulgi snorts, dropping into the seat next to her. She reaches for her coffee. 

"His parents will probably hate her too," she shrugs. "I'm sorry but Hongbin-oppa can basically charm his way out of a murder charge."

" _Yah_."

Seulgi laughs when she glares, batting her hands away when she tries to reach for her coffee. It wasn't a bad break up, she tries to think. In fact, they did talk it out, carefully, practically, and a lot of other things. She's sad. She feels strange, even.

It's still the kind of break up that makes her question herself. She sneaks a peek at the two of them, her gaze hiding behind her fingers. Seohyun laughs and it's sort of shy, the smile that she gives Hongbin. Her gaze wanders to her ex-boyfriend and she watches him _watch_ the other girl with this strange, sudden softness that makes Youngji ache and hate herself a little more. We can be friends, he had said.

"You okay?" her best friend nudges her. 

There are a million different thoughts in her head right now, all of them things she doesn't know how to deal with. She wonders: _did he smile at me that way?_ It isn't jealousy, but she's a little sad.

"I don't know," she answers.

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of her hours at the coffee shop are spent trying to TRY to study, while hiding from her ex-boyfriend and being awkward about switching to a different table, away from view and away from windows. 

It's around eleven when she finishes. She has an exam first thing in the morning around nine. She tells Seulgi that she'll call her and heads to the bus, figuring it's probably easier to anyone she knows by catching it the next block over. She still feels weird too. She keeps picturing Hongbin and that stupid smile, analyzing and _analyzing_ it over in her head. 

This is probably how she is going to deal with it -- confused, mostly peeling apart herself because, after all, she is her own worst enemy and maybe that's why he wanted to stay friends. Maybe that's way she sort of said yes _and_ no. But god, really, she has GOT to quit the dramas.

"Yo, watch it --"

Youngji blinks, stumbling, half-caught by a pair of hands and the smell of some really intense cologne. She smells cigarettes and beer too and narrows her eyes.

"Sorry," she half-asses an apology. She blinks and looks up and there's this guy. "Uh --" she falters a little. "I wasn't paying attention," she adds.

"Obviously," he grins.

His eyes are bright. His mouth breaks into a wider smile too, handsome, but irritating, like really irritating. She's obviously watching and isn't stupid enough to miss the dimple that forms, then creases the corner of his mouth.

"You're drunk," she says. Actually, it sounds more like, "You're _DRUNK_ ," and accusation since, apparently, she just goes around and judges strangers.

"And you're in a bad mood," he says breezily. He ruffles her hair and she hits his hand away. "Sorry," he says and doesn't mean it. "There was karaoke and, man, we act like teenage girls when we karaoke."

"Uh, okay." She takes a step back, her fingers curling around her bag. "That's nice."

The guy shrugs. He zips his jacket and flips the brim of his hat behind his head. He watches her take a step back and holds up his hand.

"I'm not going to do anything."

Youngji glares. "You're drunk and you're weird."

"I'm a good dude," he defends himself. "And my name is Jackson."

Youngji believes in the universe, which sounds stupid and inane since she's in the sciences and studying medicine, but it's true. The universe and universal law are real, cruel, and funny things. So she wonders why exactly there's this guy and why he's here and he's not moving, watching her with just as much confusion and curiosity that she will never in a million years admit to feeling.

He's handsome, she thinks. His mouth keeps twitching, like he's trying to decide whether or not smiling is the maximum way to go and piss her off. There's a flurry of heat in her belly and her hand against her bag starts to relax.

"Jackson," she repeats slowly.

He shrugs. "And the bus is late, so."

"That's too bad." She moves around him, settling on the bench to wait. She looks up, her bangs falling into her eyes. "You should probably shower and brush your teeth soon."

Jackson blinks. Then slowly, his mouth starts to turn. It's a lazy, dangerous smile.

"You're cute," he says easily.

She doesn't say much after and he doesn't move away either. Other people start to gather around the small stop, more students and a few other people getting off the work. The smell of alcohol and cigarettes aren't as strong and she watches the lights of the traffic sort of fade over and into the city. Sleep, she thinks. She needs to sleep.

Jackson is a name too easy to remember.

 

 

 

 

 

When her second exam for the day is over, there isn't any time to take a break and she manages to get to work, between calling her mom ("I'm fine, see you at home!") and using a rubber band to pull her hair back into a ponytail that she will definitely regret later.

It's Friday and the cafe is empty, maybe more so than usual, considering it's exam week and more students are disappearing for mini-holidays. She watches a couple of people filter in, manages to stay on top of drinks and clean for a little while, before pulling out some papers under the counter to keep herself occupied.

"I'm going to the bathroom," one of the baristas says to her and Youngji nods, waving him off and finding one of Seulgi's ninety-six crossword puzzles that she hides in the cafe.

"Such service."

Youngji jumps when a bunch of books topple onto the counter. It's loud enough for the sound to echo in the cafe.

She looks up and her eyes widen. Jackson, the guy from the bus stop, stands in front of her and rubs the back of his head sheepishly.

"You --" she bites her tongue, then slowly breathes, "Don't smell like a bar."

He shrugs. "I had class."

"Are you stalking me?" She says slowly, narrowing her eyes. "Should I be concerned."

He drops his elbow onto the counter, resting his chin on his hand.

"Well," he deadpans. "You're cute enough."

Youngji is so surprised that she to hear herself laugh. The sound is bright and warm. She tastes a smile as her mouth starts to turn.

"Thanks," she says dryly.

She watches him as he picks up his books, dropping them at a table nearby the counter. He shrugs off his jacket, tossing it onto a chair and it's weird, but she finds herself staring, _openly_ , and not really caring.

It's less creepy, she thinks. Or maybe a little more so since he's shown up here. But he's taller than she remembers, broad too, and she wonders why she feels like he's a little more familiar today, outside of his less-than-helpful drunk karaoke company he gave her at the bus stop last night.

"Do I _know_ you?" she blurts when he comes back to the counter.

He picks up a straw. "Can I get an iced Americano?" he asks, then shrugs. "I recognize you -- you're Seulgi's friend."

She blinks again. "So I do know you?"

"No," he says. "But I've seen you a couple of times meeting her at the theatre department. Jaebum-hyung asks me to meet him there a couple of times."

"Weird," she says vaguely.

He shrugs again as an answer. She finishes off his drink, handing it to him before stepping away and busying herself with more tasks. Suddenly, she's too aware of trying not to be bored, seem bored, or allow herself any sort of interest in him. She'll have to as Seulgi about him, she thinks.

The other barista comes back. They get a small rush of people in the meantime and she's distracted enough to push though it. A job's a job, she always tells herself. Then there are books and other things.

Jackson comes back around though, orders another Americano with two extra shots, seemingly a glutton for punishment or just a dude with more exams than her. He leans over the bar, watching her as she waits for his shots to pull.

"I find you interesting," he says to her.

"Thanks..." she trails off, blinking. Her hands fumble around her apron. "Is that a compliment?"

"Do you want it to be?"

"Uh," she looks around and of course, the other barista's left her again. She never remembers his name. She looks back at Jackson. "I'm just concerned that you may be following me around though. Slightly, I guess. Okay maybe a lot concerned."

He shrugs. "I asked Jaebum-hyung why I found you familiar. He told me that your name was Youngji and then Seulgi walked and goes --" he clears his throat, trying to mimic her best friend, "-- YAH leave her alone! She works at the coffee shop on the other side of the building and had a really bad breakup -"

"Oh my god," Youngji's face falls and she groans, right into her hands.

This is a setup, she thinks.

 

 

 

 

 

The first thing she does when she gets off her shift that Friday is call Seulgi, leave the LONGEST voicemail, and says: " _YAH_ I love you, but trying to hijack whatever recovery period I'm supposed to have because you're my best friend doesn't mean that I'm going to like it." But all she gets is a text back, a thumbs up and a wild _kekekekekeke_ because Seulgi knows better to call her back and run up her minutes like that.

Jackson comes back that Sunday though and the following Monday, then Tuesday and a Thursday because he insists that he's got to study too and the second exam week is really for the group of students who have _way_ too many credits and electives.

"We're overachievers," he tells her when she gets off her shift, dropping down to the seat across from him and dumping her books across the table. He raises an eyebrow and she shrugs. She has a history of medicine exam in the morning. "See," he points, "you just worked nine hours _and_ are sitting to study."

She shuffles her chair forward. "I guess this makes us friends," she says dryly, fixing her eyes on his papers. "What are you studying anyway?"

"I'm pre-law. I wanna fight crime."

"So Batman, then."

He laughs. She likes the sound a lot. "I hate you," he says.

Youngji just grins.

They work quickly and quietly, half an ear bud in with music too. Last time, they found out they have the same taste in hip hop or whatever, which is, was funny at the time. She supposes there is something to be said about how they're doing this; she can't help but sneak a glance at him. She's humming, only half-aware, and when he looks back up, he catches her staring.

Her face is warm. His mouth twitches and cocks itself into some kind of half-smile. He puts his pen down and watches her back, openly.

"You're really pretty," he says and he says it carefully, almost like he's been considering it for awhile. She blushes openly, but he remains serious, still watching her with that same, stupid smile that she suddenly finds herself hating and loving at the same time. "I don't know why you don't know it either," he says too.

"Stop it," she mumbles.

"Statin' the truth."

And for the first time, for the real first time, she finds herself talking about her breakup, like it was a real breakup and not just the motions of something that happened in her life, like showing up for her shift or doing laundry or when her bus home to visit her mom is late _again_.

"I really liked him," she says quietly. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, looks down at her notes and says it again. "I did. I really liked him. I didn't think ahead, but I didn't think more of the relationship than what it was. I looked forward to it, I guess? He made me feel shy and weird and happy and then --"

Jackson reaches forward, gently tugging her ear bud free. "Then," he says.

"Then," she continues, "he asked me to coffee by the bus stop, told me that he really liked me too but he thinks that it would probably be best for us to be friends. Because that's what he wanted. He wanted to be friends."

He's watching her still. Then he grins a little and reaches for her hand, lacing their fingers together. Palm to palm, the sensation of his skin against her makes everything seem _warm_ and strangely okay. She doesn't know if this is an instant connection (she barely _knows_ him) or if she's trying really hard to place this moment into something.

But she really likes holding his hand.

"He's a moron," Jackson says. His mouth relaxes and then he reaches forward, brushing his fingers against the bridge of her nose. He flicks it gently. "A really big one," he offers. "But whatever, it's his loss."

"Thanks," she says dryly.

She thinks this may be a moment or something, kind of a big one, the kind that goes over her head and makes her, like, fail at dating _completely_. She's self-conscious, slightly flustered, and mixes diagrams when she's trying to refocus on her work sans music. 

Jackson doesn't let go of her hand either.

 

 

 

 

 

"So you're actually waiting for him," Seulgi says, implies, is smug or _whatever_.

Youngji shrugs. They sit outside the theatre department. It's a rare day off for her today, Jackson's class is done in twenty minutes, and she woke up to a text this morning that said _yo we're getting tacos_ and that was that. She looks up at her best friend as she sits next to her, handing her coffee to her to share.

"I'm waiting." Youngji spots Im Jaebum by the doorway, half-lingering and absently reading some kind of script. "You're here late tonight and we pushed back girls' night to Sunday after work, remember, so don't give me that face --"

"Face? What face?"

Seulgi pouts and she laughs. Her best friend turns to watch the doorway too, Jaebum and a sudden cloud of girls that have appeared. Seulgi's expression gets really dark, maybe a little too real, with the corners of her mouth twisting tightly.

"He's not going to know if you don't tell him," she says gently, linking their arms together.

Seulgi sighs and tenses. Her mouth twists and she shrugs, her shoulders sagging.

"It's complicated," she says flatly. "And I'd rather not confess to someone who doesn't listen."

Youngji leaves it alone, knows better than anyone how hard it is for Seulgi to bite down and go say something -- it's a lot of pride, a little bit more of a few other things, but those belong to Seulgi and she stays to stay support. She still squeezes her best friend's hand and then spots Jackson, walking towards the two of them.

"I should go," she says, a bit reluctantly.

Seulgi scoffs and pushes her lightly. "I'll be fine, mom. Just, you know, remember how this happened --"

Youngji groans, her head spinning a little because she can't quite put the words into order other than to say something OKAY SO WE'RE NOT DATING ... er right now -- but then, what kind of sense would that make when everything feels weird and new and completely _terrifying_ enough to be exciting.

She waves goodbye to Seulgi and meets Jackson halfway.

"Where are we going?"

He grabs her bag, swinging it over her shoulder. "Anywhere but here," he groans, his nose wrinkling. "I can't stare at another goddamn book - I am going to _lose_ it."

She laughs nervously. "Lead the way then."

They walk away in sync, so much so that it's weird and alarming and entirely too comfortable for her to wrap her head around. He talks a lot though, fills her silence and her thoughts with all kinds of comments ("Mark thinks you're super cute and I told him to back. Away. _Now_.") and of course, her favorite things and her day ("Being Batman is hard work, you know, how's the getting ready to save lives?") and a million other things that she can't quite keep up with.

He leads her down this street though, away from the hustle and busiest parts of the cafes, restaurants and other shops they usually end up wandering too. She spots the school first, then he grabs her hand and pulls her into the playground, lacing their fingers together.

"I brought snacks," he announces.

"Snacks?"

"I just didn't feel like sharing you with people today."

Oh, oh, _oh_. Youngji's eyes are huge. Then she drops her gaze, smiling shyly.

"Okay," she says.

The playground is empty. The swings are a little worse for wear but she still sits, takes a bag of chips that he hands her from his bag and watches him settle in next to her. They start to sway lazily and she leans in, feeding him a few chips. 

She blushes when he laughs against her fingers. Her eyes wander to the salt on his bottom lip and she thinks, oh god what if _I_ kiss him first. She feels nervous. It's confusing. It has a weight and she doesn't know what to think.

"So, ugh, this."

Youngji looks up. There's still salt on Jackson's lip and she's distracted. "Hmm?"

"You and me," he answers. "It's good, right?"

"Sure."

He's frowning then. She shakes away her distraction fast enough to catch the tail end of his disappointment. She has no idea what he was expecting.

"I like being with you," she says quietly, honestly, dropping her gaze to her hands. They pull at her sweatshirt in her lip. "You make me laugh too," she tells him and that's not a confession. "I like how I don't know what to expect from you."

"Cool." His expression changes and he seems smug enough -- it makes her laugh. "Seriously," he insists.

It feels like something bit is about to happen, but she can't quite put her finger on it. Her head is filled with a million different things, statistics, statistical anomalies (she's weird, okay?) and the fact that she is going to kiss him and can't even begin to stop herself.

She drops the open bag of chips to the ground, gently, carefully, and lets it lean against his bag before turning her swing. He moves with her, which, if she wasn't so suddenly serious about kissing him, it would be funny.

Youngji is awkward, but manages to stumble a little closer. Her hands drop against his knees and she can hear herself say something stupid about the salt on his mouth.

"I'm going to kiss you," and it's her voice too, all breathless and sticky with want.

Her mouth pushes against his, opening slight, shy and almost without hesitation. Her fingers curl into knuckles at his knees and he does taste salty, a little more like coffee, and everything else in between.

He makes a sound like he's surprised and she wonders briefly if that's a good surprised, but his mouth slides back against hers, his tongue rolling inside her mouth and suddenly, the kiss is a lot heavier and he's sucking on her lip, salty now and in between his teeth.

It's not the most earth-shattering kiss, but it's ready to fold a million different things inside of her, ready to push and pull and _create_ an even bigger need for him.

When she pulls away, they're both breathless. She tastes like potato chips. His hand drops into her hair and she feels his fingers scrape lightly against her scalp.

"Dude," he says. " _Dude_."

She laughs breathlessly.

He's completely serious, after, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her closer. She slides off the swing, just a little bit, in between his knees, half into a laugh and her heart pounding.

"You can't date anyone else now," he says.

 

 

 

 

 

It's actual weeks then, after everything, that Hongbin stops by her job and sheepishly approaches the counter. He keeps looking over his shoulder as if Seulgi is going to appear and murder him. Youngji won't admit it, but there's some kind of satisfaction to the fact that he's scared out of his mind of her best friend.

"Hi," he greets, rubbing the back of his head. It's late and there is an hour until close. "I, uh, wanted to stop by and see you."

She waits for a reaction. She doesn't really feel herself respond, grabbing a cup.

"Want a drink?"

His gaze is a little heavy. "Yeah, sure." Out of habit, she moves to the espresso machine and talks herself through the process. Hongbin likes sweet things, a little bit of chocolate and a lot of coffee. He prefers soy to regular dairy.

The silence is weird.

Finally, she sighs. "Oppa," she murmurs. "I don't understand why you're here, but if you explain it to me maybe this will be a little less.. awkward."

She stands a little straighter too, curling her hands around the counter. The espresso shots for his drink have already died, are on their way to being murdered, actually, but she finds herself facing a lot of her insecurities there and then. It's abrupt enough to make her head spin.

"Oppa," she starts again.

" _I'm sorry_ ," he blurts, his eyes darting wildly to the floor.

Youngji sighs. She looks down at her hands.

"I was an ass," he hesitates, awkwardly shifting. "Taekwoon hyung basically beat me up for a couple of hours because I didn't really --"

"Stop," she interrupts. "I get it."

"I'm just not good at this," he explains and when he smiles, the creases in the corner of his mouth flush forward. He shifts closer. "I feel like you're avoiding me and I'm avoiding you and we never used to be like this."

Her mouth opens, but nothing comes out.

The thing she sees is Jackson's fist flying out of the air, left side, right side, who cares? Thank god, she's behind the espresso machine. She hears herself shriek and throws her apron to the ground, running around the counter and wedging herself between the two idiot boys.

Luckily, Hongbin has enough sense to jerk back, glaring and holding his face.

"Yah," she breathes. " _Yah_. Wang Jackson! Are you serious?"

"I don't like him."

His voice is low. She is gripping his arm. Behind them, she spots Seulgi and Jaebum entering the coffee shop. She sends a silent plea to her best friend, pressing closer to Jackson.

"You don't have to like him," she murmurs. "He was just apologizing."

Jackson growls. "He can do it from a distance," he says, pointing to the door. "Go to the store, buy some paper and make a whole sign even."

"You're ridiculous."

He's not even looking at her, but his arm swings around her shoulders.

"She's my girlfriend, dude. So back up. We'll send you a Christmas card or something."

Youngji covers her face with her hands. "Oh _my_ god," she says. 

He's all heavy and solid against her, breathing against her ear and she wants to say something because this is so ridiculous and it's not like Hongbin would ever fight him for her, but there is something in her that is just so pleased and confused that Jackson just a) announced that they were dating and b) told her ex-boyfriend that being friends WAS SO NOT OKAY WITH HIM if anything but.

"You should probably go, oppa," Seulgi chimes in, behind them. The glee in her voice is not even kind of transparent and really, when did her life suddenly become a web drama? 

It doesn't even matter anyway.

Hongbin leaves and Youngji pulls Jackson around the counter the back room.

 

 

 

 

 

At the bus stop, he slides an ear bud into her ear and hits play on his music app.

She touches his face. "You're an idiot," she says.

"You weren't supposed to kiss me _first_ ," he shoots back. "So I figured --"

"You'd hit him first then?"

Jackson shrugs, smug. "He can come at me at a later date," he tells her. "In front of a lot of other people too. I might let him get the first punch in or something."

Youngji laughs, bewildered. It's stupid and silly but he's looking down at her so proudly that she can only be slightly mad at him for being so unnecessary. And okay, she's a little proud too.

"My mom's going to love you," she says and he looks down at her, surprised, then blushes, half-shuffling into her side. "I think," she murmurs.

"Yeah?"

She nods. "Definitely," she says and Jackson's grin is wide as he kisses her forehead too.

She'll apologize to Hongbin tomorrow with coffee, she thinks. She feels a little bad. Nothing over the top, enough to go and see Taekwoon too, since he's always gone and defended her honor in his weird, Taekwoon kind of way that she's always appreciated it. She'll have to tell Jackson her plans too, so that he doesn't go and break Hongbin's nose or give him a black eye or something crazy like that.

Jackson laces their fingers together. Youngji smiles brightly.

She might have to say thank you too.


End file.
